The present invention is related to a stand for supporting a wheeled vehicle and, more particularly, to a stand for maintaining a wheeled vehicle, such as a motorcycle, in a substantially vertical position.
Two-wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles or motorcycles, tend to be unstable when they are not in motion. Without some additional support means, such as a kick stand, gravity causes a stationary two-wheeled vehicle to fall over.
People who own, transport or service a two-wheeled vehicle often have a need to maintain the vehicle in a substantially vertical position. While a kickstand generally suffices to support the vehicle at rest, the use of a kickstand alone is often inadequate where the vehicle is subject to other forces. For example, a motorcycle being transported within another vehicle may be subjected to inertial forces, tilting and rocking motions, vibrations and the like which can cause the motorcycle to topple over. A stationary two-wheeled vehicle on solid ground may even be subjected to external forces by gusting winds or flowing water, for example.
The servicing of a vehicle is another situation which may cause external forces to be applied to the vehicle. A person working on the vehicle will likely introduce forces or shift the vehicle""s center of gravity by, for example, applying torque to fasteners, hammering, prying, and attaching and removing parts of the vehicle. To prevent property damage and personal injury, it is particularly important that the vehicle remain stable and not fall over while the person is engaged in servicing the vehicle.
Furthermore, to facilitate working upon the vehicle, it is desirable in some instances that the vehicle be supported in a special position, such as with one wheel off the ground, to allow easier access to some parts.
Most kickstands which are designed to be permanently attached to a vehicle are disadvantageous for concentrating into a small area the force needed to hold the vehicle upright. If a kickstand is deployed on a surface that is not hard or sturdy enough, the kickstand will depress into the surface and eventually allow the vehicle to fall over, possibly causing damage or personal injury.
For transporting motorcycles and the like on the bed of a trailer or truck, it is known to attach a rigid structure to the bed which engages a wheel of the motorcycle to some extent. A channel, such as a xe2x80x98Cxe2x80x99-shaped metal extrusion, is often laid down to form a horizontal slot that one wheel of the vehicle can roll onto. At one end of the horizontal piece is placed a vertical portion of channel which engages another portion of the vehicle wheel when the wheel is rolled into place. In practice, the wheel does not seat so securely into the horizontal and vertical channel pieces that the transporting vehicle is sufficiently stable without other measures. Straps or tie-downs fastened to other parts of the transporting vehicle are commonly used to adequately stabilize the transported vehicle. Another disadvantage of the prior art rigid support is that it must be firmly attached to the transporting vehicle, such as the bed of a truck or a trailer. The rigid support means are usually bolted to the surface of the transporting vehicle. Consequently, where numerous two-wheeled vehicles are to be transported on a truck or trailer, the arrangement of two-wheeled vehicles is fixed and not easily changed.
Some implements are known in the art whereby a motorcycle has a wheel placed upon a low-profile dolly of sorts, the dolly being able to roll across a floor and having an inclined surface around its periphery to facilitate initially rolling the vehicle onto the dolly. While this implement facilitates moving a wheeled vehicle around, especially sideways with respect to the direction the wheels normally travel, it does not provide any support for securing the vehicle in a vertical position and does not assist in keeping a transported vehicle secured in or on a transporting vehicle.
Another form of vehicle stand is known in the art wherein a wheel holding and clamping means is permanently coupled to a standard hitch bar. This system incorporates a jack so that, after the device is set into a hitch receiver on a towing vehicle and the towed vehicle is rolled into the holder and clamped in place, the towed vehicle may be raised to proper height for towing. For supporting a vehicle on a shop floor or the like while not being towed, separate stand is provided for this device which comprises a hitch receiver and a metal frame providing a wide stance to support the vehicle in a free-standing manner. The stand portion of this system comprises large members that extend for a substantial portion along the length of the supported vehicle on either side. The stand portion also rises for a distance to place the hitch receiver at a typical vehicle bumper height.
What is required is a device for holding a wheeled vehicle in a substantially upright position while not requiring permanent attachment to a supporting surface, such as a floor or the bed of a transport vehicle.
It is further desirable to provide a device that supports a vehicle without interfering with access to parts of the vehicle that are to be serviced.
It is further desirable to provide a device for supporting a vehicle which is secure yet compact enough to allow supported vehicles to be arranged near one another on a supporting surface so that storage space is used efficiently. Such a device preferably would not extend outward or alongside the vehicle in such a manner that would impede ready access to all parts of the vehicle.
It is even further desirable to provide such a support device that is lightweight and easily stowed in a small space when not being used to support a vehicle.
Even some vehicles, such as carriages, sidecars, farm implements, and the like having three or more wheels could be better held and stabilized if such a supporting means were devised.
The present invention is directed to a support device for stably supporting a wheeled vehicle in a substantially upright position.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a wheel receiving section contacts and securely holds a wheel of the wheeled vehicle. The wheel receiving section is removably attached to a lateral support section which extends outward from either side of the wheel receiving section and provides a broadened support base to resist the tendency of the vehicle to tilt over and fall.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the wheel receiving section may alternatively be removably attached to a tow adapting section, which interfaces the wheel receiving section with a standard receiver of a towing hitch as is commonly found on pick-up trucks and other towing vehicles.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the wheel receiving section may be detached from either the lateral support attachment and the tow adapting section to facilitate moving and storing of the support device.